On 6 October 2025, OpenAI’s annual Dev Day marked a turning point for how businesses will use artificial intelligence. ChatGPT has evolved from a conversational tool into a platform for building full-featured AI applications - intelligent agents that can perform real work, connect to data, and act autonomously.
For organisations already leveraging smartAI - smartimpact’s AI assistant ecosystem - this announcement is a major leap forward. OpenAI’s new capabilities make it possible to create more connected, secure, and powerful assistants that can work seamlessly inside Microsoft environments, websites, CRMs, and custom workflows.
The key announcements from OpenAI Dev Day 2025
Apps SDK – build inside ChatGPT
The new ChatGPT Apps SDK allows developers to build mini-apps directly within ChatGPT, complete with custom logic, interfaces, and integrations.
- Apps can access an organisation’s data securely.
- They can connect to external systems such as Microsoft Dynamics 365, Power BI, or Salesforce.
- Each app can have its own knowledge, tools, and visual interface.
For smartAI, this means assistants can now become smartAI apps inside ChatGPT. A membership organisation could, for example, have a dedicated “Member Engagement App” within ChatGPT that connects directly to its CRM - allowing staff to query live data, process renewals, or draft personalised communications, all through natural language.
AgentKit – the rise of autonomous agents
OpenAI introduced AgentKit, a toolkit that allows developers to give ChatGPT agents the ability to take actions in the real world—from sending emails to updating records or generating reports.
These agents:
- Can run background tasks automatically.
- Remember context across sessions.
- Integrate with APIs, workflows, and company systems.
For smartAI, this supercharges assistants. Instead of simply advising staff, they can now perform actions - update CRM data, schedule member emails, analyse event attendance, or trigger Power Automate workflows. In other words, smartAI can now act as a co-worker, not just an advisor.
Model Context Protocol (MCP) – smarter, safer data connections
The new Model Context Protocol (MCP) standardises how AI connects to business systems securely. MCP lets ChatGPT (and smartAI) access and use company tools without compromising data privacy.
For smartimpact clients, many of whom handle sensitive member or regulatory data, this is transformative. MCP ensures that every smartAI agent operates within strict security boundaries, fully compliant with GDPR and enterprise standards.
GPT-5 Pro – the new brain behind it all
OpenAI’s new flagship model, GPT-5 Pro, represents a major step forward in reasoning, data handling, and speed. It supports:
- Structured reasoning across long documents and databases.
- Multi-agent collaboration for complex workflows.
- Lower latency and reduced cost per token.
For smartAI users, GPT-5 Pro makes assistants far more capable of handling nuanced membership, regulatory, and compliance tasks. Examples include summarising lengthy reports into actionable insights, predicting member churn, or powering CPD tracking and policy compliance audits.
Sora 2 and multimodal extensions
OpenAI also announced Sora 2, its next-generation multimodal model. ChatGPT can now understand and generate video, images, and voice. This enables users to interact with smartAI in entirely new ways.
In practice, smartAI assistants could analyse event videos, assess sentiment from recorded calls, or generate training materials on-demand for staff.
What this means for the smartAI ecosystem
The alignment between OpenAI’s new platform and smartimpact’s smartAI initiative is clear. smartAI was designed to embed intelligence inside membership and non-profit operations, and these new features make that vision seamless.
Trusted, enterprise-grade integrations
With MCP and the Apps SDK, smartAI can connect directly to Microsoft Dynamics, Umbraco, and member portals without exposing sensitive data, ideal for regulated environments.
Custom smartAI agents for every department
AgentKit allows smartimpact to deploy AI “specialists” for finance, member services, events, or governance. Each tailored to departmental workflows. A “Membership Assistant” might prepare renewal reports, while a “Policy Advisor” could summarise consultation papers overnight.
Faster deployment and lower costs
The modular design of the new ChatGPT Apps SDK aligns with smartimpact’s smartapps philosophy, start small, scale quickly, and integrate deeply. smartAI assistants can now be deployed far more rapidly and cost-effectively.
Smarter, continuous learning
With GPT-5 Pro, smartAI assistants can learn from context across emails, meetings, and documents, improving accuracy over time. Staff no longer need to “train” their AI repeatedly; it already understands tone, policies, and member expectations.
Conversational workflows, not just chat
smartAI agents powered by GPT-5 Pro can now generate documents, update systems, and collaborate with other AI agents. For instance, an events assistant could brief a communications assistant to post updates, who then updates the CRM contact list, all automatically.
Why this matters for business professionals
For business leaders, these updates demonstrate that AI is no longer a side tool, it is becoming an integrated ecosystem. You won’t simply use ChatGPT; you will interact with AI colleagues embedded in your CRM, email, and analytics dashboards.
OpenAI’s Dev Day 2025 announcements are more than technical upgrades. They form the foundation of a new, AI-driven operating model that smartimpact is uniquely positioned to deliver to the membership, charity, and professional sectors.
The future: smartAI as the digital backbone of membership organisations
smartAI, built on OpenAI’s latest frameworks, will redefine how membership organisations work:
- AI assistants will manage most routine administrative tasks.
- AI advisors will provide data-driven insights to boards and senior teams.
- AI agents will collaborate across systems to automate service delivery.
From renewing memberships to supporting policy advocacy, smartAI will act as the digital backbone connecting data, people, and purpose - securely and intelligently.
Final thought
In 2023, ChatGPT changed how we write. In 2025, it is changing how we work.
OpenAI’s latest updates transform smartAI from a digital assistant into a strategic partner - one that learns, acts, and delivers outcomes. For forward-thinking organisations, this is not a glimpse of the future; it is the new standard.